Otumfuo Osei Tutu II submits Bawku Peace Mediation Report to President Mahama

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has officially presented the Bawku Peace Mediation Report to President John Mahama, following months of intensive dialogue and negotiation between the two conflicting parties, led by the Asantehene.

This ceremony, which took place on December 16, serves as a turning point in the ongoing efforts to resolve the long-standing conflict in the region.

The event commenced with a dignified procession of traditional leaders, key stakeholders, and the Chief of Staff, culminating in the entrance of President Mahama and the Asantehene.

Delivering his remarks on the report, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who has been at the forefront of the mediation, emphasized the process’ impartiality, noting that it was a mediation and not an arbitration.

“It was a mediation. It wasn’t an arbitration, and I’m not here to say that this one was wrong or that one was right. I’ll present the facts as they are, and that is what it should be binding on all of us,” he said.

The Asantehene also shared insights from both the Kusasi and Mamprusi factions. This he said, was to ensure that their perspectives were acknowledged and included in the report.

“Before I came here, yesterday I was on the phone with the Nayiri, explaining the circumstances to him in terms of the decision I took, and I have equally spoken to the Bawku Naaba, I have taken the time to speak to everybody about the decision,” he shared.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II further noted that both conflicting parties willingly submitted themselves to the mediation process and both expressed confidence in the process, with the belief that an amicable outcome will be achieved.

Before symbolically handing over the report to President John Dramani Mahama, the Asantehene expressed confidence that the outcome of this mediation process will be a key step towards breaking the cycles of violence in Bawku that has not only claimed countless lives, but also become a national security issue.

The Bawku conflict is a decades-old chieftaincy and ethnic dispute primarily between the indigenous Kusasi and the settler Mamprusi communities in the Upper East Region. The dispute, dating back to 1931, revolves around the occupancy of the Bawku skin and traditional authority over the area.